42.1 Tension
Every muscle in his body was strained, one pulling against the other beneath his skin. He could feel the light twitch of pulsating blood in his brow. The pump echoed the rapid palpitating beat of his heart in his chest. On any normal occasion, Mal could hide the strain and absolute anger he felt inside. Right now it was etched on his features and bared, the raw emotion unmasked in his eyes.
His hands hung loosely at his sides, the fingers of one drumming in the air where it hovered just over the holstered pistol at his waist. His jaw was tense and the air in the cargo bay was seemingly thick to a point that it was almost tangible. In front of him, one of Mal’s worst nightmares was playing out in his reality. There was no need to pinch himself. Everything about this was very, very real.
Mal’s gaze followed the line of crimson blood that trickled down the pale, perfect skin of his lover. Henchmen of a man he had stolen from had caught up with them at the docks of Persephone where they had stopped to refuel. One of the men held a sharp, jagged dagger to Inara’s throat and he wanted nothing more than to shoot the man’s face into oblivion.
“You cut her up anymore and I swear by all that’s Holy that I’ll make sure you remember every mark you put on her.” His voice was tight with anger. Zoe stood next to him. And at the moment he was focusing on not looking up to the catwalk where he knew River was walking around behind and above the intruders quiet as a mouse. Sometimes her being insane was a blessing.
The man holding Inara grinned wickedly. “Oh, does that bother you, Captain Reynolds? Messing up this pretty little girl?”
When they were planet side, Mal knew that Inara normally kept a dagger of her own hidden in her skirts. But in the robe she was currently wearing, he was almost certain she didn’t have it on her. “Think you should pick on somebody your own gorram size is all. Or, you know… seein’ as you’re bigger than me what I mean to say is pick on me.”
“You kiddin’? He’d kick your ass.” Jayne spoke up behind Mal and Zoe.
“Well thanks for the vote of confidence, Jayne. Conjure beatin’ up on me’s better than what’s happenin’ as we currently speak.” Mal reasoned, his gaze unwavering on the man holding Inara and his fingers still lightly drumming the air over his pistol. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see River slowly working her way around. He could only hope that she was cognizant enough to see what was going on and to take care of a few of the men standing around Inara.
“Here’s what we want, Captain Reynolds. Our boss wants to take care of you himself. You come with us, we let the pretty girl go.”
“Mal, don’t.” Inara said quickly, wincing as the dagger slid just an inch over her throat.
An eyebrow arched up and a grin forced its way over Mal’s lips as he pushed a chuckle out of his throat. “That all you want? You got me. We’ll let your boss try and take care of me. Why not?”
“Gotta say… not too keen that plan, Sir.” Zoe interjected stoically.
“Well it’s a better plan than this one. You gotta admit that much.” Mal argued with a stiff smirk, never looking away.
“Can’t rightly argue, Sir.”
The second that the shots rang out from overhead, Mal drew his weapon and aimed. The man’s head was not even an inch from Inara’s and they were moving in reaction to the gunfire from River that killed some of the party. But Mal knew that he worked best under pressure. One bullet hit the man directly in the middle of his forehead. He fell to the ground in a heap and Inara ran across the cargo bay to stand behind Mal while Zoe and River finished off the half dozen men.
Mal turned around to Inara and spotted Simon standing back in the entry of the cargo bay. “Doc? Think you got somethin’ to stitch up.”
“Mal, I’m sorry. I walked into the bay and I didn’t see them.” Inara said quickly.
Mal smoothed the pad of his thumb over the cut at her neck. It was shallow and would heal. “Nothin’ to be sayin’ sorry for. Go with the Doc.” He watched her leave with Simon and looked back to the bodies on the floor and up to River. “Good job.”
“Killers.”
Tilting his head, Mal nodded. “That too.” He walked across the bay and closed the cargo door. “River? Get us into the black. Jayne, Zoe, we’ll get these bodies disposed of.”
“Why do I gotta-“
Jayne was silenced with one look from Mal. Only when everyone was working on cleaning up the mess and he felt Serenity take off did he draw a deep, much needed breath.
Patient’s Name: Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Fandom: Firefly/Serenity
Partner: Inara Serra only_fell (Canon)
Word Count: 845
Prompt: 42.1 Tension
Questionin’, commentin’ and snyde remarkin’ right here.
His hands hung loosely at his sides, the fingers of one drumming in the air where it hovered just over the holstered pistol at his waist. His jaw was tense and the air in the cargo bay was seemingly thick to a point that it was almost tangible. In front of him, one of Mal’s worst nightmares was playing out in his reality. There was no need to pinch himself. Everything about this was very, very real.
Mal’s gaze followed the line of crimson blood that trickled down the pale, perfect skin of his lover. Henchmen of a man he had stolen from had caught up with them at the docks of Persephone where they had stopped to refuel. One of the men held a sharp, jagged dagger to Inara’s throat and he wanted nothing more than to shoot the man’s face into oblivion.
“You cut her up anymore and I swear by all that’s Holy that I’ll make sure you remember every mark you put on her.” His voice was tight with anger. Zoe stood next to him. And at the moment he was focusing on not looking up to the catwalk where he knew River was walking around behind and above the intruders quiet as a mouse. Sometimes her being insane was a blessing.
The man holding Inara grinned wickedly. “Oh, does that bother you, Captain Reynolds? Messing up this pretty little girl?”
When they were planet side, Mal knew that Inara normally kept a dagger of her own hidden in her skirts. But in the robe she was currently wearing, he was almost certain she didn’t have it on her. “Think you should pick on somebody your own gorram size is all. Or, you know… seein’ as you’re bigger than me what I mean to say is pick on me.”
“You kiddin’? He’d kick your ass.” Jayne spoke up behind Mal and Zoe.
“Well thanks for the vote of confidence, Jayne. Conjure beatin’ up on me’s better than what’s happenin’ as we currently speak.” Mal reasoned, his gaze unwavering on the man holding Inara and his fingers still lightly drumming the air over his pistol. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see River slowly working her way around. He could only hope that she was cognizant enough to see what was going on and to take care of a few of the men standing around Inara.
“Here’s what we want, Captain Reynolds. Our boss wants to take care of you himself. You come with us, we let the pretty girl go.”
“Mal, don’t.” Inara said quickly, wincing as the dagger slid just an inch over her throat.
An eyebrow arched up and a grin forced its way over Mal’s lips as he pushed a chuckle out of his throat. “That all you want? You got me. We’ll let your boss try and take care of me. Why not?”
“Gotta say… not too keen that plan, Sir.” Zoe interjected stoically.
“Well it’s a better plan than this one. You gotta admit that much.” Mal argued with a stiff smirk, never looking away.
“Can’t rightly argue, Sir.”
The second that the shots rang out from overhead, Mal drew his weapon and aimed. The man’s head was not even an inch from Inara’s and they were moving in reaction to the gunfire from River that killed some of the party. But Mal knew that he worked best under pressure. One bullet hit the man directly in the middle of his forehead. He fell to the ground in a heap and Inara ran across the cargo bay to stand behind Mal while Zoe and River finished off the half dozen men.
Mal turned around to Inara and spotted Simon standing back in the entry of the cargo bay. “Doc? Think you got somethin’ to stitch up.”
“Mal, I’m sorry. I walked into the bay and I didn’t see them.” Inara said quickly.
Mal smoothed the pad of his thumb over the cut at her neck. It was shallow and would heal. “Nothin’ to be sayin’ sorry for. Go with the Doc.” He watched her leave with Simon and looked back to the bodies on the floor and up to River. “Good job.”
“Killers.”
Tilting his head, Mal nodded. “That too.” He walked across the bay and closed the cargo door. “River? Get us into the black. Jayne, Zoe, we’ll get these bodies disposed of.”
“Why do I gotta-“
Jayne was silenced with one look from Mal. Only when everyone was working on cleaning up the mess and he felt Serenity take off did he draw a deep, much needed breath.
Patient’s Name: Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Fandom: Firefly/Serenity
Partner: Inara Serra only_fell (Canon)
Word Count: 845
Prompt: 42.1 Tension
Questionin’, commentin’ and snyde remarkin’ right here.